The Purchasing Division provides support to all City departments on every aspect of procurements, from the development of solicitation documents to contract administration. The division is responsible for the timely and efficient procurement of goods and services necessary for the delivery of municipal services. This is accomplished through the use of the Shared Services program which places procurement staff in City departments. In addition, the division utilizes an electronic procurement system that increases visibility of contract items through the use of catalogs, which in turn increases the use of established contracts that reflect volume pricing.

The Purchasing Division is comprised of two teams aligned by service delivery type. One team is responsible for discretionary solicitations – those for which factors other than price are evaluated and negotiations are desired – and include Requests for Proposals, Qualifications, Competitive Sealed Proposals, and Information (RFP/RFQ/RFCSP/RFI). The second team is responsible for non-discretionary solicitations – those driven by price – and include Invitations for Bid as well as Requests for Price Quotes and Offers (IFB/RFPQ/RFO). Exceptions include solicitations for contracts involving a public work, such as construction, architecture, and engineering, which are coordinated through the Transportation & Capital Improvements Department, Contract Services Division.